Roberto Carlos Breaks Silence, Denies Viral Claims That He Has Converted to Islam

Brazil:Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has firmly denied reports that he has converted to Islam, saying he has deep respect for the religion and is learning about it, but has not yet become a Muslim. His clarification comes after the claim spread widely on social media and international news platforms. 

“I have great respect for Islam, and it's truly beautiful to see my wife praying (salat),” Carlos said, while directly rejecting the reports about his alleged conversion. “However, the rumor circulating about me converting to Islam is not true.” 

The former Real Madrid and Brazil defender went further, making clear that while he is interested in learning about Islam, he has not made a formal decision to change his faith. “I am not yet a Muslim, but I am learning little by little,” Carlos said. “I follow another religion, and there has been much talk about the news that I have become a Muslim. But not yet. It's not true.”

Carlos also appealed for people to allow him to make any future decision about his faith on his own terms, promising that he would personally announce it if that decision ever comes. “We must wait; if it does happen, I will announce it myself,” he said, according to his comments to Saudi newspaper Okaz. 

The controversy began after Turkish parliament member Ali Şahin claimed that Roberto Carlos had embraced Islam, citing Sheikh Jihad Hammadeh, a prominent figure in Brazil's Muslim community. Şahin said Hammadeh told him that Carlos had visited him in Brazil and recited the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith. 

The reports gained even more attention following the circulation of photographs connected to Carlos' marriage to Moroccan football agent Souhaila El Tahiri, with some social media users interpreting the presence of Islamic traditions as evidence that the football icon had converted. However, reports also indicate that the couple held ceremonies reflecting the different religious traditions of their families. 

Carlos expressed frustration that the claim was being presented as fact before he had made any such announcement. “I absolutely do not like them discussing something that is not true,” he said. The 53-year-old football icon's statement now directly contradicts the earlier reports and makes clear that, for now, he has not converted to Islam.